Breakdown gun.



UNITED STATES PATENT 'onirica GUSTA-r ELLSTROM, or FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR: Tol MARY E. JOHNSON, EXEoUTRiX,) TRUSTEE, or FITCHBURG, MAS

SAGHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9", 1906.

Application filed February 16, 1904. Serial No. 193.769.

invention is to combine the parts in an action of the kind referred to so that the weapon cannot be .accidentally discharged by the closing of thejbarrel should the gun have -\been cocked when the barrel is open.

Toth'ese ends this invention consists ofthe construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Inv the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view, partly broken away, cfa breakdown firearm constructed according'to this invention, showing the firing mechanism cocked and ready for dischargeyand Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in normal or half-cocked position, which is normally assumed by the parts after the gun is fired. i

In that class of firearms to which this invention relates it has heretofore been proposed to provide a construction in which a single trigger is used for controlling the firing mechanism as well as the barrel-catch. In actual practice I have found the use of a connection between thel barrel-catch and the trigger would be dangerous unless some provision is made for preventing the discharge of the firearm by the closing of the barrel should the gun be cocked while the barrel is open-that is to say, unless some provision is made to prevent such an accident the closing of the barrel by forcing back the trigger would release the hammer should lthe hammer happen to have been raised while the gun is open.

The special obj ect of my present invention is to provide a stop mechanism for preventing the accidental discharge .of a gun of the class referred to by the closing of itsbarrel.

, In the specific construction-herein illustrated this is accomplished by providing'the barrelcatch and thev hammer with coperating pro` j ections, which Will prevent the barrel-catch from being forced back by the closing of the' barrel when the hammer is in raised position.

A ,further object of this invention is to provide a simplified action of the kind referred to in which a less number of parts will be used than in previous actions of this type.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and in detail, A designates the frame of a breakdown firearm, and B designates the barrel, which is pivoted to turn or swing upon a pin 10. The barrel B is provided with the ordinary barrel-lug, which is notched at its rear end to cooperate with the" barrel-catch 11. The barrel-catch 11 is pivoted upon a cross-pin 12. The barrel-catch 11 is held in normal position to engage and lock the barrel in closed position by a flat Spring 13. The barrelcatch 11 is slabbed or milled away at its sides. Pivotally mounted upon the same cross-pin 12 as the barrel-catch and straddling the barrel-catch is the trigger 14. The trigger 14 has a lost-motion connection with the barrel-catch 11 by means of a pin 15 engaging a short slot in the barrel-catch, asin'- dicated by dotted lines. The trigger is held in its forward position by aY small coiled spring 16.

Pivotally mounted on a cross-pin 18 is the hammer 17. The hammer 17 is provided at its lower edge with two notches for coperating with a detent or sear 20, which is'normally forced up t0 engage the hammer by a small coiled spring 21. The sear 20 is notched or V-shaped at its forward end, and the trigger 14 is provided with a pro'ection 22, coperating with the V-shaped en of the sear. The hammer may be operated by the usual spring-pressed plunger 19 to have a rebounding or normally half-cocked action in the ordinary manner.

In the operation of a firearm as thus constructed, when the parts occupy their normal position, as'illustrated in Fig. 2, the Sear is far enough up out of the Way of the trigger so that a full stroke may be given to the trigger, drawing back the barrel-catch 11 and releasing thebarrel, so that the same will o en for reloading. On the other hand, when t e hammer is drawn back to cocked position, as illustrated in Fig. 1,l the end of the sear IOO IOSv

will be movedrdown in the path of the pro j ec' tion 22 on the trigger, so that a short movement or Jartial stroke of the tri ger will releasethe liammer and discharge t 1e gun. At the same time the V-shaped end of the sear will form a stop for limiting the stroke of the triUger and preventing the same from being pulled far enough to release the barrel until the sear 20 is again permitted to move up out of the way, as shown in Fig. 2. Considering now what would happen should the gun be cocked while the barrel is open, it will be seen that the pushing back of the barrel-cateh by the closure of the gun would also force back the trigger and would discharge the gun were no provision made for preventing this action from taking place.

In a iirearm constructed according to this invention I have provided means for preventing the barrel-catch frombeing forced back by the barrel when the hammer is raised at a time when the gun is open. To accomplish this purpose, as illustrated in the drawings, the barrel-catch 11 is provided with a projection 23, which co erates with a projection of the hammer 17. hen the parts occupy the normal position, as shown in Fig. 2, the projection 23 may be swung back into the recess or notch in the front oi the hammer 17; but when the hammer 17 is raised, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the lower part of the hammer forms a stop or abutment which by enga ement with the projection 23 will reve'nt t e barrel-catch from being forced Jack. This provides efficient means for reventing accidental discharge of the gun y the closing of the barrel.

I am aware that changes may be made in the construction of breakdown guns by those who are skilled in the art without departinflr from the scope of my invention as expressed in the claims. I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the special construction I have herein shown and described; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a breech-loading iirearm, the combination of the frame, aibarrel, a catch for the barrel mounted to be normally forced back by the barrel when it is being closed, a firing mechanism, a trigger connected to oaerate both the firing mechanism and the arrelcatch, and means for preventing the barrelcatch from being forced back by the barrel should the firing mechanism be cocked while the gun is open.

2. In a breech-loading iirearm, the combination of' the frame, a barrel, a catch for the barrel mounted to be normally forced back by the barrel when it is closed, a hammer, a scar for holding the hammer in raised position, and a tri ger connected to release the sear when the ammer is raised, or to draw the barrel-catch back when the gun is to be opened, the barrel-catch and hammer having projections co erating to prevent the barrel-catch from eing forced back by the barrel should the hammer be raised while the gun is open.

8. In a breech-loading firearm, the combination of a hammer, a barrel-catch, a trigger pivoted concentrically with the barrel-catch and having a lost-motion connection therewith, and a sear coperating with the hammer and moved down into position to be released by the initial movement of the trivger when the hammer is raised, the barre catch and hammer having projections coperating to prevent the barrel-catch from being forced back by the barrel should the hammer be raised while the un is open.

In testimony whereoII have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAF ELLSTROM. Witnesses CHAs. E. WARE, DORA C. McMAs'rER. 

